Material gathering and loading machine



April 23, 1946. F. CARTLIDGE' I MATERIAL GATHERING AND LOADING MACHINE Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 15 1944 we aiigr A TTORNEY April 23, 1946. F. CA RTLIDGE MATERIAL GATHERING AND LOADING MACHINE s Sheets-Sheet '2 Filed Nov. 15, 1944 Vf/YI'Ok 57am ar ya A TTOQNEY April 23, 1946. G G F. CARTLID'GE 2,399,101

7 ATERIAL GATHERING AND LOADING MACHINE 7 Filed Nov. 15, 1,944 s Sheets-Sheet s mkw x 2 4 f 1 44 6'2 j VVENTO 5016 mz arm- 6- Patented Apr. 23, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MATERIAL GATHERING AND LOADING MACHINE Frank Cartlidge, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Goodman Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application November 15, 1944, Serial No. 563,480

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in material gathering and loading machines of the type adapted to load coal at the working face of a mine underground.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide a new and improved means for swinging the gathering head of a loading machine laterally, which is contained beneath the conveyer of the loading machine and is within the lateral limits of the machine in all positions of adjustment of the conveyer.

A more specific object of my invention is to provide two oppositely acting fluid pressure cylinders andpistons for swinging the gathering head of a loading machine laterally, which are arranged beneath the conveyer of the loading machine and extend rearwardly therefrom so as to be Within the lateral limits of the machine in all positions of adjustment of the conveyer, and'to permit the machine to readily ope-rate in places of low overall height and in places of restricted width, as where the roof is supported on closely spaced props.

These and other objects of my invention will appear from time to time as the following specification proceeds and with reference to the accom, panying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 'is a fragmentary plan view of a loading machine constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged view in side elevation of an intermediate part of the machine shown in Figure 1, with certain parts broken away and certain other parts shown in section, in order to more clearly show certain details of the means for laterally swinging the gathering element of the machine;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail plan view of an intermediate part of the machine, with certain parts broken away and certain other parts shown in horizontal section Figure 4 is an enlarged partial fragmentary longitudinal sectional View taken through one of the cylinders for swinging the gathering head of the machine laterally; V

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along line 55 of Figure 3; and

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view taken substantially along line 6-6 of Figure 3.

The loading machine illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings consists generally of amain frame l0 mounted on a pair of laterally spaced continuous traction tread devices II, II and having an inclined gathering element I2 mounted on the forward end of a forwardly extending inclined portion I3 of a conveyer I4. Said conveyer extends upwardly in an inclined direction from the ground in advance of said main frame, rearwardly to and over the top thereof and beyond the rear end thereof in an overhanging position so as to discharge material into mine cars or the like, Said loading machine is of a type similar to that shown and described in application Serial No. 497,004, filed by me on August 2, 1943, so is only herein shown and described in so far as is necessary to make my present invention clearly understandable.

The gathering head I2 is supported in advance of the main frame ID for lateral movement with respect thereto and for vertical adjustment with respect thereto on a laterally movable support frame I5. Said support frame is pivotally mounted adjacent the forward end of the main frame It on the lower end of a vertical dead shaft I6, Which is secured to the bottom of said main frame and projects upwardly therefrom. Said support frame is also mounted on a bearing boss I? coaxial with said dead shaft and spaced vertically from the point of connection of said support frame to said shaft. Said bearing boss depends from a plate I3 connecting the upper ends of side frame members I9, I9 of said main frame together (see Figure 5). Said support frame also rests on and slidably moves along a forwardly projecting bottom supporting plate 28 of said main frame on. an arcuate bearing plate- 2|, and extends a substantial distance in advance of the forward end of said bearing plate.

The forwardly extending inclined portion I 3 of the conveyer I4 is transversely pivoted to the forward end of the support frame I5, on the outer peripheries of bearin bosses 24, 24 formed integrally with the frame I5, the insides of which bosses form bearing supports for a transverse drive shaft 25 for driving a chain 25 of the corn veyer I4, to permit vertical adjustment of said inclined portion of said conveyer about the axis of said shaft.

The gathering head I2 herein shown is of a well known form of endless chain gathering head and includes an inclined apron 29 mounted on the forward end of the inclined portion I3 of the conveyer I4 and extending in advance thereof and across the front end thereof. A pair of chain guiding members 30, 30 are mounted on the upper side of said apron, as usual, so as to extend along opposite sides of and forwardly of said conveyer. Said guiding members form guides for endless chains (not shown) having gathering arms 3 I, 3!

projecting laterally therefrom and orbitally moved about said guides by said chains, to pick up material from the ground and move it onto said conveyor.

The conveyer i4 is herein shown as being a well known form of single strand laterally flexible type of conveyor having a plurality of flights 32, 32 pivotally connected to adjacent ends of sections of the endless chain 29 so said chain will flex laterally upon lateral flexible movement of the forward or of the discharge ends of the conveyer. Said conveyer is clearly shown and described in my aforementioned application Serial No. 497,004, so will not herein be shown or described in detail.

The gathering head 12 and the inclined portion l3 of the conveyer I4 is elevated or lowered by means of a pair of laterally spaced fluid cylinders 33, 33 extending along opposite sides of said conveyor adjacent the upper end thereof and in planes which are generally horizontal, when. the gathering head I2 is in a lowered position. Said cylinders are pivotally connected adjacent their rear ends to the swinging frame l5 by mean of pivotal pins 34, 34, and have piston rods 35,35 extensible therefrom, which are pivotally connected to the rear end of said gathering head, adjacent opposite sides thereof.

with the piston rod end of the left-hand cylinder 39. A fluid conduit 56 is connected to said last named conduit, to supply fluid under pressure thereto and to cause swinging movement of said support frame to the left. The supply of fluid under pressure to either of said conduits 54 or 56, to swing the gathering and loading element either to the right or to the left, may be controlled by fluid valves (not shown) in a manner well known to those skilled in the art and no part of my present invention so not herein shown or described.

Referring now in particular to the means for swinging the support frame l5 and the gathering head l2 laterally, two oppositely acting fluid pressure cylinders 39, 39 are provided beneath the conveyer l4 and between the side frame members l9, IQ of the main frame l0. Each of said cylinders has a piston 40 movable therein with a piston rod 4| extensible therefrom. Said piston rods have enlarged eyes at their forward ends, each of which eyes extends between a pair of vertically spaced connecting ears 43, 43 and is pivotally connected thereto on a semi-ball-shaped bearing member 430 mounted between said eyes on a pivotal pin 44. Said connecting ears project rear.. wardly from opposite sides of the rear end portion of said support frame, and the axes of pivotal connection of said piston rods to said ear are intersected by a common straight line extending through the axis of pivotal movement of said support frame.

The cylinders 39, 39 are each provided with a connecting ear 45 extending rearwardly from the head end thereof, which is pivotally connected between a pair of vertically spaced inwardly extending ears 45, 46 of a connecting bracket 41, on a semi-ball-shaped bearing member 48 mounted between said ears on a pivotal pin 49; Said connecting brackets 41, 41 are secured to the insides of the side frame members 19, 19 by means of cap screws 59, 59 extending from the outsides of said side frame members and threaded in said connecting brackets.

A fluid conduit 53 is connected to the piston rod end of the right-hand cylinder 39 and the head end of the left-hand cylinder 39. A fluid conduit 54 is connected with said conduit 53 to supply fluid, such as oil, under pressure thereto so fluid under pressure may be admitted to the piston rod end of the right-hand cylinder 39 at the same time it is admitted to the head end of the lefthand cylinder 39. The right-hand piston rod M will thus be retracted while the left-hand piston rod is extended, when it is desired to swing the support frame l5 and the gathering head [2 to the right. A fluid conduit 55 is connected with the head end of the right-hand cylinder 39 and 7 gagement with said closure plates 59, 59.

Referring now in particular to the means for preventing coal and dirt from hindering operating of the cylinders 39, 39 and piston rods 4|, 4|

and swinging movement of said swinging frame,

and from getting in the drive gearing for the machine, a closure plate 59 extends along each side of the support frame l5 from a point adjacent the forward end of the forwardly projecting supporting plate 29, rearwardly along and around the cars 43, 43, which have the forward ends of the piston rods 4!, 4| pivotally connected thereto. The upper edges of said closure plates are spaced a slight distance beneath the plate l8, to provide clearance, and the lower edges of said plate abut the top of the supporting plate 29, to substantially close the space between said plates. Angle brackets 69, are secured to the forward ends of the side frame members l9, IS on one of their legs, by means of cap screw 6|, 6 I and extend inwardly from said side frame members. The other legs of said brackets are spaced inwardly of the insides of said side plates and extend in a forward direction beyond the forward ends of said side plates. Said brackets have enlarged hinge pin receiving portions which interleave hinge pin receiving portions 62, 62 of scraper members 53, G3, which are hinged thereto by means of hinge pins 64, 64 which are secured to said scraper members to pivot therewith. Said scraper members when engaged with the closure members 59, 59, substantially close the space between the plates 20 and I8 and are of an inwardly curved arcuate formation having inwardly extending forward ends 65, 65, which slidably engage the closure plates 59, 59. Tension springs 66, 66 are provided to urge the inwardly extending ends 65, 65 of said scraper members into en- Each spring 66 is connected at one of its ends to the outer end of an arm 6! secured to the upper end of one hinge pin 64 and projecting outwardly therefrom. The opposite end of said spring is connected with a lug 69 spaced forwardly of the arm 6'! and extending outwardly from the plate l8. Said scraper members are thus held in yieldable engagement with said closure plates in all positions of pivotal adjustment of said support frame with respect to said main frame, and besides scraping coal and dirt therefrom, prevent the coal and dirt from entering the space beneath the conveyor M which contains the drive gearing for the machine and the means for swinging the gathering and loading element laterally.

While I have herein shown and described one form in which my invention may be embodied, it will be understood that the construction thereof and the arrangement of the various parts may be altered without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Furthermore, I do not wish to be construed as limiting my invention to the specific embodiment illustrated, excepting as it may be limited in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a low type face loading machine, a selfpropelled main frame, a conveyer extending from the ground in advance of said main frame over the top thereof, a gathering head at the forward end of said conveyer, a laterally movable support frame for the forward portion of said conveyer pivotally mounted on said main frame adjacent the forward end thereof for movement about a vertical axis, and extending in advance of the forward end of said main frame, and means for swinging said gathering head laterally including two oppositely acting fluid pressure cylinders and pistons pivotally connected be tween opposite sides of said support frame and said main frame and extending rearwardly from said support frame along said main frame, the axes of pivotal connection of said cylinders and pistons to said support frame substantially intersecting a common line intersecting the pivotal axis of said support frame in all positions of adjustment of said support frame withrespect to said main frame, and said cylinders and pistons being disposed beneath and within the lateral limits of the portion of said conveyer extending over said main frame in all positions of lateral adjustment of said support frame with respect to said main frame.

2. In a low type face loading machine, a selfpropelled main frame, a conveyer extending from the ground in advance of said main frame over the top thereof, a gathering head at the forward end of said conveyer, a laterally movable support frame for the forward portion of said conveyer pivotally mounted on said main frame adlacent the forward end thereof for movement about a vertical axis, and extending in advance of the forward end of said main frame, and means for swinging said gathering head laterally including two oppositely acting fluid pressure cylinders pivotally connected to opposite sides of said main frame adjacent their rear ends, and having piston rods extensible therefrom and pivotally connected to opposite sides of said support frame, the axes of pivotal connection of said piston rods to said support frame intersecting a common line intersecting the axis of pivotal movement of said support frame in all positions of adjustment of said support frame with respect to said main frame, and said cylinders and piston rods being within the lateral limits of said conveyer in all positions of lateral adjustment thereof with respect to said main frame.

3. In a low type face loading machine, a selfpropelled main frame, an inclined conveyer having a gathering head at its forward end, a laterally movable support frame pivotally mounted on said main frame, adjacent the forward end thereof for movement about a vertical axis and having said conveyer pivotally mounted thereon for movement about a transverse axis, means for moving said support frame and conveyer about said vertical axis including two laterally spaced oppositely acting fluid pressure cylinders disposed within the lateral and vertical limits of said main frame and extending from opposite sides ofsaid support frame rearwardly along said main frame and pivotally connected between said main frame and said support frame, and closure means beneath said conveyer and between the forward end of said main frame and said supporting frame to prevent the entrance of coal and dirt in the space containing said fluid pressure cylinders and pistons including a pair of scraper members having yieldable slidable engagement with opposite sides of said support frame.

4. In a low type face loading machine, a selfpropelled main frame, an inclined conveyer having a gathering head at its forward end, a laterally movable support frame pivotally mounted on said main frame, adjacent the forward end thereof for movement about a vertical axis and having said conveyer mounted thereon for pivotal movement about a transverse axis, and means for moving said support frame and conveyer about said vertical axis including two laterally spaced oppositely acting fluid pressure cylinders disposed within the lateral and vertical limits of said main frame and extending from opposite sides of said support frame rearwardly along said main frame and pivotally connected between said main frame and said support frame, and closure means beneath said conveyer and between the forward end of said main frame and said support frame to prevent the entrance of coal and dirt in the space containing said fluid pressure cylinders and pistons including a pair of scraper members pivotally connected to opposite sides of said main frame adjacent the forward end thereof, and means yieldably engaging said scraper members with opposite sides of said support frame.

5. In a low type face loading machine, a selfpropelled main frame, an inclined conveyer having a gathering head at its forward end, a laterally movable support frame pivotally mounted on said main frame, adjacent the forward end thereof for movement about a vertical axis and having said conveyer mounted thereon for pivotal movement about a transverse axis, and means for moving said support frame and conveyer about said vertical axis including two laterally spaced oppositely acting fluid pressure cylinders pivotally connected to opposite sides of said main frame and disposed within the lateral and vertical limits of said main frame and having piston rods extending forwardly therefrom and pivotally connected adjacent their forward ends to opposite sides of said support frame, and closure means beneath said conveyer and between the forward end of said main frame and said support frame to prevent the entrance of coal and dirt in the space containing said fluid pressure cylinders and pistons including a pair of closure plates extending along opposite sides of said swinging support frame and terminating beyond the points of pivotal connection of said piston rods to said support frame, a pair of pivoted scraper members pivoted to the forward end of said main frame and having slidable engagement with said closure plates, and yieldable means for slidably engaging said scraper members with said closure plates.

FRANK CARTLIDGE. 

